What’s New?

Terrific news! U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Department of Justice (DOJ), is currently reviewing my request to amend the RAVE Act! I’ve asked her to make the enforcement of the law clear so that event producers who take common-sense safety measures are no longer put at risk of prosecution.

We need to motivate our Virginia U.S. Senators to move quickly to make dance concert settings safer. Festival and concert season is right around the corner and we need their attention now before we witness yet another year of senseless medical emergencies.

August 31, 2015 – The Amend the RAVE Act (ATRA) campaign is gathering speed and gearing up take the petition to Congress this fall. We now have over 11,600 people who have signed on, and the momentum continues.

June 20, 2015 – You may have heard that another young woman has died at EchoStage, the same concert hall in Washington DC where my daughter, Shelley, died almost two years ago. Have you been to an event there? If so, I would like to hear from you.

January 23, 2015 – Thank you for your support of the Amend the RAVE Act educational campaign that I have undertaken. It is because of your active involvement in this monumental, multifaceted effort that federal legislators have taken note of our work. My husband, Rob, and I have meet with one of Virginia’s Democratic U.S. senators as well as a prominent Republican congressman in the House of Representatives.

September 15, 2014 – Thank you for signing the petition and making the Amend the RAVE Act (ATRA) campaign a force to be taken seriously. Many other public safety groups are lending their support and I have been receiving many media calls since I sent out a press release about the campaign last week.

ABINGDON, VA – The mother of a 19-year old UVA honors student has launched a campaign to change a federal law that she contends is outdated and likely contributed to her daughter’s death. Shelley Goldsmith died of heat stroke last summer at an electronic dance music (EDM) event in Washington DC after taking the drug MDMA. Dede Goldsmith, mother of Shelley Goldsmith, has already collected over 1,000 signatures on her petition website, AmendTheRaveAct.org, launched on August 31, 2014, the one-year anniversary of her daughter’s death. She plans to take the petition along with a proposed amendment to Congress this fall. . . .

Amend the RAVE Act!

Amend the Rave Act

My name is Dede Goldsmith. On August 31, 2013, my daughter, Shelley, died of heat stroke at an electronic dance music (EDM) concert in Washington D.C. after taking MDMA. Her death was partly the result of a dated law from 2003 called the RAVE Act that prevents safe settings at EDM events. Please join me in signing this petition. It is time for a “safety first” approach to drug use that includes harm reduction measures along with current law enforcement efforts.

Dear Congress,

I urge you to enact legislation to amend the 2003 Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (aka the RAVE Act) to ensure that music venue owners and event organizers can implement common sense safety measures to protect their patrons and reduce the risk of medical emergencies, including those associated with drug use, without fear of prosecution by federal authorities.

As the law currently stands, many owners and organizers are reluctant to institute such measures, fearing they may be accused of “maintaining a drug involved premises” under the Act, and thus opening themselves to criminal or civil prosecution. By clarifying the original intent of the Act, you will be ensuring that it can no longer be misinterpreted in ways that jeopardize public safety.